look at energy. look at private cultivation. look at texas. look at oklahoma. look at north dakota. they're creating jobs. then look at the epa. certainly growth is the only way out. we talk about cutting spending. we're not even cutting the baseline. we're cutting the growth in spending. >> what about jim's point of view that the deficit as a percentage of gdp is declining? >> i don't believe his math. i see trillion-dollar deficits for the last several years. i see us fighting over 2, 3, or 4 trillion over ten years when we still have a trillion every year for the last three. it doesn't add up. i don't know what jim is looking at. >> well, it's not my number. it's numbers from the government itself. >> that's good. >> the big decision you have to make when you apply fiscal austerity is how fast and how aggressive do you apply it while trying to improve the deficit but also maintain and not hamper the recovery or end the recovery. i would ask rick and everyone this, the question you have to ask yourself, who's best equipped to make that decision? is it a bunch of elected officials